London, Thursday 24th September 2015

Over 800 faithful pilgrims have been killed and as many injured in a stampede in Mina during the Hajj.

Rashid Mogradia, CEO of the Council of British Hajjis, a national charity providing support to British pilgrims said:

It is heart breaking to learn of this tragic incident to take place at Hajj. We are shocked and saddened by what has happened.  Our thoughts and prayers are  with all those affected and those who lost their lives.  We are working with tour operators to locate British pilgrims and so far no Briton has been reported to have been affected.   The British embassy in Saudi Arabia are on standby to assist any British national who may seek assistance.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond Said:

I was saddened to hear of the enormous loss of life in Mecca. My thoughts are with families and victims at this difficult time. Such a significant tragedy will affect Muslims across the world who take part in the Hajj pilgrimage. Our staff remain in close contact with the Saudi authorities and tour operators, and are checking hospitals and other locations to urgently gather information about British nationals who may require assistance.

We are also deploying further staff from the region to bolster our response.

Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Muhammad bin Nawaf said:

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of the tragic accident which happened at Mina

Around 20,000 British pilgrims are currently in Makkah making up around 2million worldwide pilgrims who are performing Hajj this year. The Saudi Authorities take the health and safety of pilgrims seriously and have opened an investigation into the cause of the stampede. Anyone wishing to seek further help or advice can call us on +44(0) 845 833 4145 or the Foreign Office Helpline on 020 7008 1500 or 00 966 501 00 4268 within Saudi Arabia. For up to date information follow us on Facebook and Twitter. https://www.facebook.com/cbhuk https://twitter.com/cbhuk Ends.   Note for Editors

• The Council of British Hajjis (CBHUK) is a leading national charity working for the welfare of British pilgrims who travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) known as Hajj and the lesser pilgrimage of Umrah.
• CBHUK is a registered charity (No. 1146323)
• CBHUK is a national lead working with the City of London Police to tackle Hajj Fraud http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/news-and-appeals/campaigns-and-initiatives/hajj/Pages/default.aspx
• CBHUK run national training, travel & health advice and vaccination clinics for aspiring pilgrims

Press Contacts  Telephone: 0845 833 4145 Outside of UK: +448458334145 Out of Hours: 07466 888842 (please leave a message or SMS text with your full name, company and email address)

Further Reading

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34350334

http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2015/sep/24/hajj-pilgrimage-stampede-visual-guide-fatal-crush-mecca

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34350509 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34354651

http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/sep/24/hajj-crush-kills-scores-near-mecca-live-coverage

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/24/middleeast/stampede-hajj-pilgrimage/